Tasting Recap: Movies and Wine
Wine tasting goes to the movies! That is what happened in our first Global Vineyard Passport Series tasting-eventwith Brandon Thomas. Brandon is acertified expert of wine, and you can follow his blog, here. In this tasting, Brandon paired scenes frommovies (and a serial) with varietals or regions featured in those scenes.
Wine is used in popular culture in myriad ways – often to express a mood or display a character’s traits. Much has been written lately about the portrayal of women drinking wine on-screen, and the connotations of their character as expressed by the color and size of the drink (e.g. here and here). For our tasting, Brandon selected six scenes that ran the gamut from timeless (Casablanca) to absurd (The Muppets), with romantic and unexpected stops along the way.
Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaique Reims, France
“Mosaique" takes its name from the multiple plots, grapes, and vintages that comprise the wine. Jacquart sources grapes from vineyards of the Alliance Champagne group, of which Jacquart is the largest house. This wine is a blend of 40% chardonnay, 35% pinot noir, and 25% pinot meunier. It was produced in the methode champenoise, with secondary fermentation in the bottle. Aged for 3+ years in the bottle.
This is a great, minerally sparkler with small, persistent bubbles. There is lime zest on the nose, without noticeable breadiness (“brioche”). It has a fruit-forward quality – with pear, unripe stone-fruits, and more lime zest.
Casablanca: Ah, the elegance! Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Morocco… Buttheir hearts are elsewhere, and the romance and style of unoccupied Paris is setby the champagne and the coupes in which it is served.
The Muppets: When Miss Piggy and Kermit set out for a romantic night on the town, what could possibly go wrong? Well, Steve Martin in lederhosen and “Sparkling Muscatel. One of the Finest wines of Idaho.” We’ve had some great Idaho wine (and Jet sells on by the glass) but the lederhosen, the screw cap, the Muscatel, and Miss Piggy’s call with her agent all undermine the fine evening that a chilled bottle of sparkling wine had promised. We are sorry, Kermie.
Union Wine Company Underwood Pinot Noir 2012 Oregon
The Underwood is an attempt to make great Pinot Noir at an affordable price. To do this, grapes were drawn from across Oregon, including the Willamette Valley – well known for its warm days, cool evenings and maritime influence, and the Umpqua Valley – warmer, and near the Idaho border. The fermented juice is aged in French Oak for 6 months. Underwood Pinot Noir also comes in a can and, according to Brandon, is quite enjoyable that way.
The wine has a pretty, jewel-toned color. The flavors are bright, with some light berries and sour cherry notes. There is also a considerable earthy/funk on the nose, and the expected acid of pinot noir.
House of Cards: Frank and Clair Underwood are 2 stars of this political drama set in Washington DC. The two connive and manipulate during the day, and sit for a glass of Pinot Noir at night. Pinot has the cold austerity, aided by an acidic backbone, to bring these two together in the evening.
Chateau du Moulin Rouge 2011, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
The Chateau is an independent winegrower (Vigneron Indépendant) Haut-Médoc is a subregion of Médoc, and thus the Chateau is situated on Bordeaux’s Left Bank. Production is traditional, and has been for 13 generations. This wine is a blend of manually-harvested 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc, aged for 12 months in new, French Oak.
This wine is such a great combination of its main grapes. It has a smokey smoothness from the merlot and graphite sharpness from the cabernet. The nose has some brown sugar, and the mouth is full of cherry and plum.
Year of the Comet: Intrigue, subterfuge, secret identity… all in a race for a rare bottle of Bordeaux. Bordeaux is filled with some fine, fine wine – not all of which is identified with its own appellation – quite like this Haut Médoc. The “good guys” win in the end, espousing the notion that fine wine is meant to be enjoyed, not horded.
Domaine des Terrisses 2010 Gaillac, France
Domaine des Terrisses is a storied property that has been in the Cazottes family since 1750. The Domaine is located in southwest France, in the Gaillac appellation, where they grow traditional grapes. This wine is a blend of 50% Braucol (Fer Servadou), 30% Duras, and 20% Syrah. It is aged one year in tank before bottling.
This wine shows the iron-y and savory characteristics of the Fer Servadou grape. It is sharp and strong, with beef broth and spice in addition to the dark prune. I, for one, love Fer Servadou.
French Kiss: Meg Ryan puts aside her stereotypical distates and finds the earthy and traditional side of French life in its pastoral countryside. The wines of southwest France are rather unlike those from the rest of the country, embracing a more rustic and bold profile that lacks artifice.
Trentadue Winery La Storia Merlot 2011, Alexander Valley, California
While the Trentadue family has been growing grapes on this land for 55 years, the vineyards boast some vines that are 115 years old. The Merlot grapes in this wine come from their Alexander Valley estate in Sonoma.
This is a rich, smokey, velvety, gem of a wine. It has big, bright, cherry fruits, darker plums, and a touch of eucalyptus. It is wonderful to drink.
Sideways: Friends, Middle Age, Neuroses, Wine. Yes, the movie that made people eschew Merlot for years. With this Trentadue Merlot, however, it is not easy to maintain a dislike for the varietal!
Overall, this was a wonderful tasting and fun pairing of wines with movies. We always take a post-tasting poll for the favorite of the evening. Tonight's winner? The Trentadue Merlot, with 8 votes. This was followed by a tie between the Champagne and Bordeaux, followed by the Gaillac and then the Pinot Noir.
Join us for our Ides of March tasting on March 10th!